Increasing opportunities for HHS students

This year Haxtun High School juniors and seniors are able to participate in the Innovation Learning Opportunities Pilot program, which is a component of the Rural CoAction grant received from NEBOCES to increase opportunities for our students.

The Colorado Department of Education’s Innovation Learning Opportunities Pilot program allows students to have a “variety of learning experiences that usually occur outside of the classroom … designed to enrich students’ education and support them in successfully transitioning from high school to postsecondary education and/or the workforce” (CDE 2023).

What does this mean

for HHS students?

All high school students have the opportunity to engage in a variety of coursework including taking college courses and courses from various organizations aligned to students’ postsecondary goals. Examples of this include a HHS freshman taking courses through St Vrain’s online school in partnership with CASE and Haxtun School District, a sophomore taking Japanese through BYU, and a variety of students engaged in CTE and college courses.

This school year, seniors are participating in a senior seminar class to work on college and workforce readiness skills (i.e., college applications, resume, scholarship writing, personal finances) and engage in work based learning experiences or internships. Haxtun School District’s goal is for all internships to directly relate to students’ postsecondary goals and provide an opportunity to engage students in learning new skills and experiences.

Where do students go to take courses from other institutions?

Juniors and seniors who maintain a “C” or higher have the option to engage in their college courses off campus to provide a step in preparing them to engage in a full set of college courses after high school and to prevent interruptions to their internship hours.

Freshman and Sophomore students must remain on campus for all classes taken virtually through other institutions.

What career pathways is

HHS providing on campus?

In addition to the college preparation pathway, HHS has strong Career Technical Education programs including: Animal Science, Plant Science, Power, Structure and Technical, Education, Hospitality and Food Production, Interior/Fashion Design and Business Administration.

This year, HHS is working to create additional on campus pathways in: Digital Media and Communications Pathway, Coding Pathway and General Health Science Pathway.

There are several other pathways students can pursue by taking additional higher level courses their junior and senior years.

Why is this important?

Haxtun School District’s goal is to help students achieve their post-secondary goals by providing opportunities for students to engage in a variety of experiences (coursework and internships) aligned with their goals for after high school.

As students take classes and engage in work based learning experiences, students have the freedom to change pathways. It is important for students to have the opportunity to explore a variety of pathways while in high school. After high school the cost to change pathways can be expensive, especially with the rising cost of college.

In addition with innovation and technology changing at the rapid rate it is, Haxtun School District wants to make sure students are prepared to engage successfully in their chosen career field and can be leaders in their industries.